Thai PM nearly duped by AI phone scam

AFP
Published at : 16 January 2025, 09:34 am
Thai PM nearly duped by AI phone scam

Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra almost fell victim to a phone scam using AI to impersonate a foreign leader's voice, she said Wednesday.

The PM, the youngest daughter of telecoms billionaire and ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, said she received a message in a voice sounding identical to a well-known leader, without identifying the person.

"In the clip, he said he was looking forward to seeing me and working together," she said.

She missed a call from the same number during the night, before a second voice message the next day aroused her suspicions.

"The voice said Thailand is the only Asean country which has not yet made a donation – when I heard that, I thought 'this is not right'," she said.

A text message asking for money to be sent to a bank account outside Thailand soon followed, confirming her doubts.

"I knew it for sure when I saw that," she said.

Paetongtarn did not say when she received the messages.

So-called "call centre scams" are common in Thailand, in which fraudsters impersonate police, government officials or bank staff – often using automated "robocalls' to make the first contact.

Paetongtarn, 38, last week declared more than US$400 million in assets to Thailand's anti-corruption commission.

Her father Thaksin – who once owned Manchester City football club – has a net worth of US$2.1 billion, according to Forbes, making him the 10th-richest person in Thailand.

Explosion kills 34 at illegal fuel depot in Benin

Published at : 24 September 2023, 02:43 pm
Explosion kills 34 at illegal fuel depot in Benin

At least 34 people, including two babies were killed when a contraband fuel depot exploded into flames in southern Benin near the border with Nigeria on Saturday.

According to Beninese Interior Minister Alassane Seidou, “a serious fire occurred in the town of Seme Podji. Another 20 people were seriously wounded in the incident.”

"I can't really give you the cause of the fire, but there is a large gasoline warehouse here and cars, tricycles and motorcycles come from morning to evening,” he added.

Nigeria is a main oil and gas producer where fuel smuggling is very common along its borders, particularly when the government maintains a subsidy to keep fuel prices low.

The majority of the victims were burnt and they could not be not be identified.

 

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Why
Published at : 16 September 2023, 06:28 am
Why do we use it?

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